


Leave Me Breathless

by whovianphangirl67



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Keith (Voltron) in Denial, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Possible Character Death, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 18:07:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whovianphangirl67/pseuds/whovianphangirl67
Summary: Keith longed for the day where he would be able to breathe again. He missed the feeling of being alive. To touch. To been heard. To be seen. Sadly, he was a ghost, so he knew his chances were slim. So when some blue-eyed stranger threw a pan at his face, he knew that slim chance came through. On the other hand, Lance didn't believe in ghosts, but the day he met Keith in a dream, all his prior beliefs came to change.





	Leave Me Breathless

Ghosts do not exist... They just can't. It is completely impossible. There is no absolute proof anywhere that they even remotely exist. From foreign cultures to old folktales, Lance hadn't seen anything to make him believe that. At least this is what Lance tried to say as he attempted to comfort his best friend, Hunk, after they had finished watching  _It._  

“Come on, Hunk. Pennywise is just a crazy ghost-clown. Clowns are weird, middle-aged men and ghosts don’t exist!” Lance reached into the cabinet to grab another box of tissues.

Hunk eyes just continued to well up with a waterfall of tears, "But did you see what Pennywise did to those kids!!"

"Technically, Pennywise is just a form It takes. And he isn't a ghost. So, sorry Lance, that doesn't really help much," Pidge explained, taking her glasses off to clean them with the large, yellow shirt she wore. Hunk had given it to her earlier in the night. Lance sat back down, sighing as Hunk yanked him by his shirt and sobbed into it, leaving splotches of both tears and snot. The pull out couch creaked as Lance adjusted himself to wrap his arms around Hunk.

"Thanks, Pidge. Anything else you could say that'll help?" Lance said sarcastically. She just shrugged and continued to speak.

"Well, if this helps, if you take the multiverse theory into consideration, then the universe that contains the malevolent spirit known as Pennywise isn't this one. Rather we are a lucky bunch of where we reside in the one where the being resides as purely fictional shit." Pidge concluded by placing her glasses back on to see both of the boys' dumbfounded face. "What?"

"English, Pidge..." Lance said.

"No, no, that..." Lance turned to look at the surprisingly calmed Hunk, "That actually helped." Hunk sniffed, wiped his sleeve under his running nose. "Thanks, Pidgeon."

"No problem. See Lance, I am too capable of human emotions." The short girl crossed her thin arms and smirked in victory. It would've been fine if it hadn't been for the fact that with Hunk’s shirt on she looked like an excited five-year-old. Lance bit back laughter, but a small snort slipped out. "What!?" She snapped defensively.

"Nothing! I swear it is absolutely nothing," He quickly said, putting his arms up in defense. Lance really wanted to sound sarcastic, but he was too scared to make Pidge angry. He didn’t want that. Especially not tonight. Lance sighed. He was really going to miss this. Summer was slowly reaching its end and he'd never see this town for a long while. Lance looked at his friends. Hunk had gotten tissues to blow his nose and Pidge was squinting at him, her brother's glasses had slipped down to the tip of her freckled nose again. Luckily, Hunk's father had the same job as Lance's father, so he'd be moving too. However, they'd be leaving Pidge. The sleepover, after all, was a goodbye party. He was definitely going to miss the little gremlin.

"You okay, Lance?" Pidge asked softly. Lance looked up to see her eyes already watering, making them look more golden than amber. She already knew what he was thinking, but neither wanted Hunk to be more upset as he is. The whole point of watching the movie was to get it off his mind.

"Yeah," Lance lied stiffly, "Just trying to think of the next movie we can watch."

"Nothing as scary as that!" Hunk quickly piped in. Lance quietly chuckled.

"Sure thing, buddy." Lance wrapped his arm around Hunk. He contently laid back and checked to see what Netflix had to offer. “What about-“

 A loud scoff broke both of the boys from their pleasant daze. Pidge shook her head, “You guys will have plenty of time to watch random crap in Maine. While you’re still here with me, we are doing something more fun than this!”

“Oh?” Lance said amusedly, “Like what?”

“Ouija board!” Pidge said excitedly as she threw her arms up. Lance was surprised as he knew she barely believed in the thing. He had also heard from her brother, Matt, that she had a slightly traumatic experience with the game as a child due to a prank their parents had decided to pull. Lance hardly knew the story, but he knew it had ended with a bowling ball-sized dent in the wall and six stitches in her father's knee.

“No! Hunk wouldn’t want something scary,” Lance replied with a mildly concerned tone. He was adamant in making sure that nothing would go wrong tonight.

“Actually, I don’t believe those things work, so I don’t really mind if that’s what she wants,” Hunk rebutted.

Lance opened his mouth to retort, but Pidge had already sprinted out of the room with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Why do I even bother with you guys?” He exasperatedly rubbed his face with his hand. Lance peeked through his fingers to see Hunk smiling as he messed with the hem of his shirt. It made Lance feel warm to see Hunk so happy, despite what was about to happen tomorrow.

Before his thoughts could get any worse, Pidge burst into the room with a triumphant grin. She slammed the box onto the coffee table in front of the couch. Lance and Hunk watched as she set it up swiftly. She brushed back her long hair, pulling it back with an elastic. "Alright..." she mumbled, tapping her lip with a knuckle. "Ah!" She sprinted from the room once again, only to return quickly with candles. 

Lance launched from the bed, snatching the candles. "Oh no, you don't!"

"What?" Pidge asked, her eyes following the candles with a way too familiar glint.

"We are not having another repeat of the Hairspray Incident!" Lance placed the candles on the tallest object he could find.

Pidge groaned, "We don't even have any hairspray, now."

"You'd find a way," Hunk pointed out.

Pidge opened her mouth to retort, but paused, finally replied with, "Touche."

"How about we just leave the lights as they are. No need to scare anyone anymore than we already have," Lance spoke as he moved to sit in front of the coffee table.

Hunk and Pidge sat on the other side. Without any other words, they each placed their hands on the seeing piece. They all exchanged glances.

"Okay, who first?" Hunk asked, raising a brow.

"Ooh, it should be the skeptic," Pidge replied with a smug grin pointed to Lance. Lance rolled his eyes, but nonetheless continued.

"Alright, then. If there's any pretty, lady ghosts out there, please, tell us your name." 

All three leaned over the board, waiting. After a while, Lance began to give up. He felt extremely stupid for agreeing to something so ridiculous. Lance looked up at Hunk and Pidge. Both were huddled closely together and stared at the board with expectant glee. Lance gave the seeing piece a slight nudge, avoiding too much movement in his fingers. Hunk let out an "Eep" while Pidge's face paled. Her fingers almost slipped from the piece, but Lance spoke up.

"Careful, you don't want to let go until you properly say goodbye. Unless you want to unleash a demon," Lance said in a mock-serious voice. Pidge looked up, a horrified expression was plastered to her face. "Kidding! This game's a joke."

As soon as Lance had said that, the piece began moving again. All three weren't even paying attention to it, so Lance doubted one of them had moved. His skepticism said otherwise. 

"J... O... K... E... Joke," Pidge read aloud, Hunk's whimpering got worse with each letter. "O-okay, Lance, funny, now quit it!"

"It wasn't me!" Lance shrieked just as the piece moved again.  _M... E..._ Me. Lance stared at the others in disbelief. "Why are you guys picking on me and make it repeat what I say?"

Pidge looked at Hunk who had done his best to edge away from Lance, "Lance. I don't think Hunk did it and I know I didn't do it. Why don't we ask it a question? First, I'll ask one now, and see if it answers me. Who are you?"

The piece remained still.

Pidge nudged Hunk who swallowed before shakily asking, "Are you a demon?"

The piece didn't even budge.

Lance looked at Pidge, whose face had regained some color. She nodded at him to start. Lance asked, "Why me?"

The piece lay still. Lance had begun to sigh, but then the piece slowly started, picking up speed as it moved.  _W... A... T... C... H... O... U... T... F... O... R... F... I... R... E..._ The piece suddenly stopped on  _Goodbye_. 

"Well," Pidge paused, her voice wavering. She gulped before continuing. "Goodbye, then." 

They all slowly pried their fingers away from the piece. Lance stared at the board, the final message seared into his mind. He looked up to see Hunk had wrapped his arms around Pidge in a tight hug. Normally, Pidge would've disliked the gesture, but now she seemed to be fine with it. She had even placed her head on his bicep. Both shook with fear induced by a simple cardboard game. Lance was shaken, yes, but he still didn't believe it was real. Lance was beginning to think it was some elaborate prank to get back at him for picking to watch  _It_. Still, he decided to keep that message stored in his mind. 

"I think I'm done for the night," Lance declared. He grabbed a blanket and headed to his designated spot on the sofa farthest from the coffee table. 

"Agreed," Hunk said moving to the pull-out couch by the table. The mattress creaked beneath the new weight. Pidge glanced at Lance one last time before climbing in next to Hunk. The two of them had known each other since birth, so sleeping in the same bed wasn't a new thing to either of them. If anything, Lance thought it was because the two were each other's safety blanket. For the two of them to be separated, Lance knew it was going to be difficult for both of them.

Lance buried his face into the couch, inhaling its scent. It wasn't a distinguished smell, but it would be one that Lance would miss. As Lance drifted to sleep, the scent shifted to one of smoke. Yet, it also smelled of something close to lavender. The musky scent lured Lance into a deep slumber of forgetful dreams.

 

* * *

 

Lance was seated on the cold, wooden floor in his room. He was surrounded by a couple of boxes. His bed was already in pieces and loaded into the moving truck his family had rented. His older sister, Veronica, was his only sibling who lived with them. She was technically old enough to live on her own or go to college, but she decided to take a gap year before figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. Their other siblings already had their own kids and homes which were in different places in the country. Lance was the youngest of them and definitely the most spoiled. He even liked to think he was the best uncle. Anyway, since it was only the two of them, packing was a lot easier. 

The walls were now bare of his numerous posters. It made the room feel so empty and unfamiliar. To make his father happier, Lance pretended to be excited to move to a new place. However, it was extremely hard to accept that he was leaving the place he had spent the second half of his childhood. First Varadero Beach and now here. Even when he had finally found a place here with his friends. Now he would be spending his last year of high school in a new town. With a quiet sigh, Lance hefted a few boxes out of his room. Just to think, Hunk was doing this just a couple blocks away.

As he walked out he almost knocked over Veronica. She had gotten her height from their mom so she was basically invisible whenever Lance was carrying something.

"Hey! Watch out. You know, just because I'm tiny doesn't mean I can't take you," Veronica teased as she held three boxes that teetered dangerously, threatening to fall. 

"Don't I know it," Lance joked back before staring worriedly at the boxes. "You sure you got those under control?"

"Ah, of course. Ugh," Veronica grunted as she shifted them a bit. "They're only clothing anyway. Not like it'll break anything." Without another word, she carefully waddled down the stairs. Lance decided not to question it.

Lance continued packing boxes and other items in the truck. He kept a separate bag full of necessities to stay in the car for the long ride they had ahead of them. They’d be going from here to all the way in Castle Hill in Maine. The trip was over day long with breaks included. They thought about flying, but his papá decided it was cheaper to drive. Lance stepped back after setting the final box down and looked at the house.

All those old memories of running around this house ran through his head. His first sleepover with Hunk was also here. So many memories that he had here. Now, they were just going to be left as stories to reside in the wood of the house. It was almost like ghosts in a way. A warm arm abruptly wrapped around his waist, pulling him from his thoughts. Lance didn't even need to look, just by the sweet, caramel smell; he could tell it was his mamá. She rested her head on Lance's shoulders. Strands of brunette hair were plastered along the sides of her face from sweat. 

"Thank you for being so understanding, _mijo_ ," She stretched to her tippy toes to press a kiss on his cheek. Lance just nodded and gave the house one last glance over. "Hey, why don't you go tell the boy next door goodbye. I'm sure he'd appreciate it after all those hours of tutoring."

"Yes, Mamá," Lance replied. His mom smiled and headed back inside. Lance looked both ways quickly before crossing the road. He approached the large, wooden door with hesitation. Lance hadn't told him he was leaving, yet. Although, he probably figured it out from the moving van. Swallowing both his saliva and fear, Lance knocked. The door opened to reveal a tall woman, her hair was long, stark black with silver strands and her eyes accessorized with designer black bags. Despite her obvious weariness, she welcomed Lance with a warm smile. Cool air blew out into Lance's face, contrasting the sweltering heat outside.

"Hi, Mrs. Shirogane! Is Shiro home? I just wanted to say bye before we leave." Lance explained.

"Yes, he is, dear. Takashi! We have company!" She yelled up the stairs before turning back to Lance to gesture him in from the heat. Lance quickly took his shoes off at the door before walking in. "Let me get you a drink. I just made some lemonade earlier."

"Thanks." 

"My pleasure. So where are you heading?" She asked pouring the beverage into a mug. If the Shirogane's had a surplus of anything, it was mugs. Mrs. Shirogane worked in a pottery store. So, whatever strange addition didn't sell came here. Lance had the pleasure of using a mug in the shape of an alien's head.

"Maine. My dad got transferred," Lance briefly explained.

"We actually used to live in Maine a few years back. We still visit sometimes though to-" She caught herself, covering her mouth with the tips of her slender fingers. Her brows furrowed a bit as if in deep thought. She caught Lance's gaze and quickly smiled again. "How exciting is that? Such a strange, unlikely coincidence, it's almost like fate! Here you go." She handed the cold cup to Lance.

"What's exciting?" A deep voice asked from behind Lance. He spun around to face Shiro. His black and white hair was a mess and stuck out in all directions. He was in his early twenties and had already graduated college. Lance knew him since he was 15, yet he still didn't know too much about him. Even after all the talking they did, it was only about math and history. Frankly, he looked like a guy that would be successful or already be married. Instead, he still lived with his mom. Lance always thought something must have happened to him. It'd explain the prosthetic arm and the scar etched deeply across his face. Shiro was just too mature and sad for your average young adult.

"Ah, that is my cue. Goodbye, Lance! I hope you have safe travels." She gave him a quick hug and walked out of the room.

The room became silent. Lance had no clue how to start so he just quietly sipped the lemonade. Shiro pulled out a toilet-shaped mug and poured himself some lemonade. Lance watched as he took a long drink. Shiro raised an eyebrow prompting Lance to speak.

"Oh! I'm moving, so I- uh, wanted to say thanks for all the help you gave me. It meant a lot!" Lance rambled nervously which was not a common characteristic for him. Shiro paled slightly as his face fell. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just didn't know how to go about it." Lance quickly added with a nervous chuckle.

"Where are you going?" He asked, sounding a lot less emotional than how he looked.

"Castle Hill in Maine," Lance answered. Shiro's face fell even more. His eyes were wide open. Shiro looked as if he was trying to regain himself before he had a big breakdown. Suddenly, he stumbled and wavered as if he was about to faint. "Shiro!" Lance quickly caught him and helped him to a seat next to the counter.

"I don't understand. How is that-" Shiro clasped a hand over his mouth. Beads of a cold sweat appeared on his face mixing with the heavy tears that rolled off his cheeks. He looked at Lance, but his eyes seemed distant. "How?" His body shook with tremors. Shiro had told him awhile after they first met that he had these attacks time to time. Lance just never believed he'd be there for one- much less be the cause of it.

Lance furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't know what you mean, Shiro." 

Abruptly, Mrs. Shirogane burst in. Her face twisted into a worried look when she saw Shiro. Quickly she rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around him. Lance backed away unsure of what he should do. Shiro's mom kept trying to ask what was wrong, but neither of the boys would reply. Lance didn't know what to say. Shiro just wouldn't flat out talk at all. However, Lance felt like she knew what it was. Mrs. Shirogane glanced over her shoulder, giving Lance a look. Lance understood and nodded.

"I'm so sorry... Bye, Shiro and Mrs. Shirogane!" Lance rushed to say as he quickly headed out before he made it any worse.

 

* * *

 

Lance felt bad about what happened. He had even sent Shiro a text later asking if he was okay, but he got no response in return. The only uplifting thing was that his dad convinced his mom to let Hunk ride with them until their last stop. So, they all piled into the minivan after lunch at 1.

His dad put on the radio so Lance would be able to speak quietly enough so only Hunk would hear. Lance was so happy to have somebody to vent to. Unfortunately, Hunk passed out on him almost immediately as he sat down. Lance couldn't blame him though. Hunk fell asleep really late last night.  _It_  was just too much for him to sleep peacefully. A buzz from his phone shook him from his thought. 

 

**Pidgeot:**   _heyy. hows the day-long drive going so far??_

 

**LanceyLance:**   _Hunks already a casualty_

 

**Pidgeot:**   _so soon?_

_last night was rough tho_

 

**LanceyLance:**   _you dont say_

  _im thinking of sleeping too_

  _but i probably wont be able to_

 

Lance looked up from his phone. They were driving on a road surrounded by what it seemed like endless crops of corn. That's one thing about this state. So many fucking corn fields. It isn't hard to believe that one of his first jobs was helping harvesting in a corn field. It was ridiculous. His phone buzzed.

 

**Pidgeot:**   _what happened?_

_did you have to leave behind skincare products_

 

**LanceyLance:**   _I am insulted!_

_And no.._

_I said bye to Shiro_

 

**Pidgeot:**   _did he confess his luvv to u ;)_

_Jk, hes waaayy too old 4 u_

_...and out of ur league_

 

**LanceyLance:**   _Pidge, Im being serious_

_he ended up acting really strange._

_it was like that time where my dad got in an accident while I was hanging out with him._

_remember how he freaked out when I didnt "freak out enough" as if it was a big deal when really my dad just accidentally backed into a pole?_

 

**Pidgeot:**   _ohhh_

_Shit, should I get Matt to check on him?_

_he always knows how to make him feel better._

 

**LanceyLance:**   _that might be good_

_imma try for a nap, tell me how it goes_

 

**Pidgeot:**   _will do_

 

**LanceyLance:**   _thanks_

 

Lance put on his headphones and lay back in his chair. Matt should hopefully get Shiro to be happier. At least he'd still be there for Shiro. Although Shiro only tutored him, he seemed like an older brother in a way. Shiro had even driven Lance and his date to a dance since he had the most badass car. Sighing, Lance scrolled through his music and picked I Was Here by Beyonce. He listened to the song and watched as the fields passed endlessly by until they lulled him to sleep.

 

* * *

 

It had been a long time since Keith saw another human up so close. Although, that was hard to say as he has spent most of this time sleeping. If him closing his eyes and going to a timeless limbo of darkness even counted as sleeping. The first few weeks after Keith's death, some realtor had been trying to get someone to by the house. Keith wanted none of it. His family should still be out there somewhere. So Keith kept people out by scaring them in a variety of ways. 

He sat in a dusty and empty corner. Keith recalled the time where he even put a blanket over him, since he couldn't be seen, and pretended to be a normal person just following this elderly couple. They thought he was just a normal kid from the neighborhood. Keith chuckled to himself, remembering their faces when he let the blanket collapse through him and onto the floor. They ran so fast. Keith probably would've pissed himself laughing so hard if he had still had a bladder. 

Eventually, the realtor stopped returning to the house. He had even gone as far as taking the sign out of the yard. It made Keith happy... Up until he realized that there was nothing for him to do anymore. 

He wondered what a ghost could even do in an empty house. Well, part of the house. The newer chunks of it seemed to have barriers keeping Keith from crossing into them. However, loneliness left Keith unsettled. The house was too quiet. Not to mention empty. There was a small amount of furniture for displaying to interested people, but even now most of it was now gone. Nothing was left to even resemble his old home. The place looked like a completely different house.

Keith was hardly able to remember what happen, but he remembered the smoke. He remembered the heat that seared into his body and mind alike. And his dad's voice... The fear of being trapped was also there. And something or someone else, but Keith couldn't recall what it was. 

Keith shook the memory away. Surely he'd be able to find something better to do other than sulk in a corner. Keith stood up and looked out the window. It was now night and rain poured. The street was void of any living person. Only a small, stray cat was walking gloomily across the road as its fur was soaked. Suddenly, its gaze landed on Keith. Their eyes appeared to glow yellow in the dim light that came from the street lamp. Keith recognized the red tabby as his old cat. Although, the cat seemed somehow years older, he knew it was the same grumpy tabby.

"Leo... So, they left you behind, too," Keith spoke aloud although he knew no one could hear it. He waited for his cat to walk away, but was amazed when he saw Leo meow in his direction. His eyes widened in the thought that maybe he wasn't so alone after all. His feet moved before he even made a decision, dashing down the stairs. Keith reached the door and tried to open it, but his hand just went through. 

"Ugh! Work you stupid doorknob!" Keith tried again. His anger let his hand to have enough energy to open it. The door swung open hitting the wall hard enough to leave a dent, but Keith didn't care. Leo still stood in the road. "Come on, boy!" Keith cried out, holding his arms open wide. Leo sprinted until his paws padded up the steps and onto the porch. Keith went to hug him only for him to touch nothing. 

Leo walked unfazed into the house. Keith looked at his hands sadly, "Well, I can't pet you, but at least we can give each other company." Leo meowed softly. After he was finally able to close the door, Keith followed Leo up the stairs, watching as his feet left tiny, wet footprints. He would've had the best pictures of it if he only had his camera.

Keith sighed. Looking away he realized where they were. It was his old room. Only the study and bathroom were at this end of the hall, so his parents thought it was best that he'd have privacy here. That's what his dad said anyway. He'd never know what his mom thought since she was just a distant memory even when he  _was_  alive. 

Leo curled into a ball at the middle of the room. Keith sat down next to him. "I'm glad I'm not alone anymore. It's nice to actually talk to someone. Even if they're a cat." Leo purred back to Keith in response. "How did the rain feel?" Keith asked before realizing it was a stupid question. "Right..." Leo opened his yellow eyes, looking at Keith. It felt  _amazing_  to be seen. Keith continued to ask unanswerable questions and ranted about different subjects. Leo never responded, but then again, he never did when Keith was alive. It was almost like whenever Keith used to rant to Leo about annoying people at his school. It was nice to be able to have one of his old routines back, but Keith wondered if he'd talk to another human again. 

After a while, Leo passed out, leaving Keith alone again. He sighed, but suddenly began wondering if he could sleep. It was then that he found the answer. This was the first time he slept. He didn't dream, sadly. He just went to this black emptiness. Although, he swore if he strained enough, he could catch sounds drifting in the air. Some of it was just random noises. Other times, he could catch snippets of faint conversations. Keith wondered if it was other ghosts across the world. Although, one time he swore he heard his name once, but he thought it was probably just hopeful wishing.

After months of spending time with Leo and sleeping, it never changed. His routine stayed the same. It was continuous. He'd let Leo out and in. Although some nights he wouldn't appear. Keith learned Leo always came back though, but he never knew where he went. Anyway, they'd talk somewhat whenever Leo was around. Keith could even manage to play some games at times. Then, at night, he would go to the empty limbo of sleep even though it never made a difference to how he felt. 

However, one evening, whenever Leo didn't come to the door. Keith sat waiting to see if he'd come later, but he decided if he slept, hoping that maybe the time would go by faster to when he'd next see Leo. So Keith lay down on the floor next to the door and fell asleep yearning for Leo. Once again, Keith entered the limbo, but this time, he wasn't alone. The figure was blurry, but Keith could see it. He could make out a teenage boy. Keith was astounded when the figure looked at him squinting. 

Both stayed silent as if both were too scared and shocked to speak. 

"Hey?" The stranger tested as he stared at Keith. 

"Me?" Keith asked, putting a hand on his chest.

"Of course! Who else is here that I'd talk to? The darkness is intriguing and all, but it wouldn't respond," the boy laughed at himself. His brown hair shook with his laughter, catching Keith's attention.

"Oh," was all Keith could muster. Suddenly, an idea popped in his head. "Are you a ghost?"

"No? Unless I am in this dream," The boy laughed awkwardly again. "I don't think I've ever dreamed something so vivid like this before. Last dream I was just conducting an orchestra with no pants on!"

Keith just stared as he didn't know what to do. The longer he did, the more the boy came into view. The boy was tall and lanky. Brown hair curled at its tips, leading to his tan skin and deep blue eyes. He stared right back at Keith strangely, but didn't say a word although the silence was obviously bothering him. Now, he could even smell something from the boy. Keith couldn't name it, but it messed with him. The smell reminded him of the sea, but it was mixed with a flowery scent. He hadn't even been able to smell something since he died. Keith reached forward, wanting to see if he could touch too, but suddenly the boy was gone. Keith looked around but he was alone again. There was nothing but the darkness once again.

 

* * *

 

Lance was shaken awake by Hunk when they were taking a stop before leaving Pennsylvania. It was now dark outside. Lance came to the conclusion that he had slept a long while. His dreams were now fading from his memory, but that last one was weird. Lance glanced at his phone. It read that it was now 9 in the evening. His notifications displayed that he had 12 snaps from Pidge, but he decided to check them when he was more awake. His throat was dry and his stomach was rumbling. Lance sat up and rolled his neck while smacking his mouth at the weird taste that had accumulated in it. His phone was playing some random song by Ariana Grande and he was honestly too out of it to tell which song. Lance paused it, looking at his battery percentage. Horrified at the measly 6%, he quickly plugged it into the charger hooked up to the power socket near the car door. He placed his phone into a cup holder. 

"Come on, Lance! I'm hungry!" Hunk exclaimed. As if to add to his dramatics, his stomach growled obnoxiously loud. 

"Okay, okay. Jeez!" Lance's long legs were cramping terribly, so it was quite nice to step out. Hunk pulled Lance along as they stepped into a McDonald's to eat. Hunk and Lance sat in their own booth as their families sat together. Apparently, Hunk had found out something that he needed to tell Lance alone. Hunk nervously nibbled on his fries as Lance set down his food, finally waking up a bit after sipping the weak coffee. "Alright, lay it on me, big guy!"

"Okay, so, when I woke and saw that you were still sleeping, I decided to do something to avoid boredom, right? Well, I ended up researching the town we are moving to. Apparently, the town has a haunted house," Hunk rambled excitedly.

"Nice, but you do know my view on ghosts," Lance replied before he took a bite of his burger. He thought back to the weird dream he had before he woke up. He had never dreamed of something like that before, but man, the boy was cute. 

"Yeah, but it's more than that."

"What?" Lance asked unamused. 

"The house that it showed looks exactly as the one you're moving into!!" Hunk pulled out his phone showing Lance his evidence.

That caught Lance's attention. He grabbed Hunk's phone and sure enough it was. Same tree in the front yard, too. "Oh."

"Is that all you have to say? Luckily for you, it's probably not haunted. You should look at the 'eyewitness' stories," Hunk made air quotes, "They're completely ridiculous. One said that apparently the ghost was under a sheet and it followed them as they viewed the house, but when they tried talking to it, the blanket fell to the floor and no one was underneath it. I mean that is so unbelievable," Hunk explained. 

"What happened to make it haunted?" Lance asked before realizing and hating the fact that he was even remotely interested. He ate a couple more of his fries as Hunk continued.

"People say it has always been haunted due to Indian burial grounds, but one story makes more sense in my opinion. So I looked through the town history and there was a huge fire two years ago at that house. They weren't able to find a cause for it, but so many people were injured and someone even died, Lance. I think he's the one who haunts it." Hunk grabbed his phone. "Let me try to find that video with the picture again."

The boys ate silently as they waited. Lance could hear Hunk's father make a joke, sending both families into hysterics. The scene made him smile. Their families had always been so close, but now that Lance's family was now moving away from the rest of his large family, they will end up closer than ever. Hunk abruptly grabbed his arm, breaking him from his thought.

"I found it, but be quick. I'm almost out of data. Look, the kid must've been our age!" Hunk turned the phone. Lance only caught a quick glimpse, but instantly gasped, pushing the device away. "What?!" 

"No fu-" Lance looked at their families, but they didn't notice anything. Lance leaned in and whispered. "You are shitting me. There is no fucking way that he's the ghost!"

 "Why do you say that?" Hunk leaned in, also whispering, but his eyes glinted with interest.

"Just before you woke me up. I was dreaming, obviously, but he was in it! I swear it was him. I'd know that mullet anywhere. It was him!" Lance's eyes were wide. There was no way...

Hunk's mouth fell open, "He'd reaching to you Lance." That sentence made him freak out even more, because the kid had reached out to him before he woke up. 

"But ghosts don't exist..." Lance said, but his voice held no conviction. They both looked at the photo, leaning towards it silently. It was the same boy. There was no doubt at all in Lance's mind. He had the same violet-gray eyes and raven hair in a mullet that, while on anyone else it'd be terrible, framed his face perfectly. 

Suddenly, Lance's empty fry container flew off the table. No wind or anything was able to have done it. It landed over a yard away. For a moment neither boy moved, but stared at it with wide eyes. Lance held on tighter to his burger as he met Hunk's gaze. They both yelled, running for the door, not caring what their families thought. Once outside, they rested against the van, panting in the warm air. 

Lance spun to face Hunk, "What... the... hell? I didn't touch it! Did you?" Lance asked loudly.

"No!" Hunk snapped before he bent over with a groan. "I think I'm going to puke!"

"Oh, please don't!" Lance grabbed at his aching ribs. He was out of breath. "Maybe it was the wind."

"There was no wind, Lance. Stop denying what just happened!" Hunk demanded. 

"Lance? ¿Qué pasó mi querido?" Lance's mom asked as she saw the boys.

"No es nada, mamá..." Lance replied quickly. "Just a little tired and we saw something on Hunk's phone that made us a little too excited. We needed the air." It wasn't a lie at least...

"Oh, okay. Do you boys want me to bring out the food and drinks you left? You can stay in the car if you want. I'll go get the keys from your father." Lance really wanted to hug his mom. 

"That'd be great, Mrs. McClain! Thank you," Hunk replied. When Lance's mom left, he turned to Lance. "We are not done talking about this, but can it wait until I'm done eating? I almost lost my appetite and that was honestly horrifying."

"You don't have any argument here." Lance raised up his hands in defense. 

Hunk nodded, "Good." 

Lance's mom later came out with their stuff and they stayed in the van with a window cracked open. It wouldn't much, but both boys were too prideful to admit they were embarrassed by the scene they made. Well, Lance was anyway. So both agreed staying in the car would be best. 

With his arms behind his head, Lance stretched out as he tried to relax in his seat. The car was still crammed with stuff that they had to take in the van. The moving truck wouldn't arrive until a few days after their arrival. Lance and Hunk at least got the whole back of the van to themselves. Isabelle had to drive her own car to Maine.

"Oh, Hunk?" Lance said, suddenly remembering the events of earlier that day.

"Please nothing more about ghosts..."

"No," Lance chuckled, "I was meaning to tell you about what happened when I told Shiro bye."

"I figured you were too scared to tell him bye." Hunk sipped on his soda.

"I almost was and I was right to be. You know how he has those anxiety attacks?" Lance asked, looking out at the road. Dozens of cars passed by as blurs of lights and colors. A moment of silence passed as Hunk slurped his drink.

"Yeah..." Hunk answered nervously slow.

"He ended up having one when I told him I was moving to Castle Hill. I just thought maybe it was because he was upset that I was leaving, but apparently he used to live in Maine and now with what just happened in there..." Lance trailed off.

He gasped. "What if he knew about something that happened there? Like maybe he knew the ghost..." Hunk said in awe, his eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"Yeah."

"Crap." Hunk sounded both amazed and scared.

"We should ask Pidge. She sent Matt over to talk to Shiro so maybe he told him something about it."

"My data is way too low; I don't want to risk getting grounded as soon as we get there. What about your phone?" Hunk asked after he looked at his phone.

Lance leaned over and grabbed it out of the cup holder. He tried turning it on but it was to no avail. "I think it ran dead due to Pidge. We'll have to wait until we're back on the road again for the car to charge it."

He turned to see Hunk already cozied up in his seat, snoring. Lance sighed, running his hand through his hair. It was a nervous he had picked up after seeing his father do it all the time. It was unbelievably absurd. Lance didn't believe in ghosts. He used to, but that was 10 years and 2 psychologists ago. Now he knew better than to believe in such childish tales. Yet... Lance couldn't understand how all that just occurred was a coincidence. As Pidge would say, it was too unlikely. 

Lance ran his finger along the soft fabric lining the inside of his jacket. Despite it being summer, he was beginning to feel a slight chill. After all, he was wearing a tank top with shorts. Lance pulled the jacket over his shoulders, not bothering to put his arms into the sleeves.

Blackish brown hair and violet eyes. They were all Lance could see when he closed his eyes. He could even recall the way his hair had curled at his shoulders and how his often his eyebrows would knit together in deep thought. If he tried hard enough he even remembered his voice slightly. Squeezing his eyes, Lance strained to remember what the boy had said in his dream. 

_Are you a ghost?_   The boy had even looked hopeful. As a dream, Lance would have never thought anything of it. Now? It made his heart clench. Lance laid back in his seat. Whether the kid was real or not, Lance hoped he would see him again, even if it was only in a dream. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you're enjoying the story!! My tumblr is ripsartt so catch me on there if you have any questions or want possible extra content! If you ever want to draw anything for this fic, please do!! Please leave your thoughts in the comments so I can improve where I need to. Thank you! <3


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